SPRINGFIELD - The man accused of killing 20-year-old Amanda Plasse in Chicopee two years ago had his case continued for a District Court bind-over hearing on Jan. 6.

A continuance date was set on Monday in the murder case against 22-year-old Dennis Rosa Roman, who has denied a charge of murder.

Rosa Roman's case is also due back in District Court on Nov. 25 on a hearing on whether documents filed in connection with his arrest can be made public. He remains held without right to bail.

A bind-over hearing is a District Court proceeding which can be used to determine if the case should move forward in the Superior Court. The case could also be presented to a grand jury for indictment in the Superior Court without having to conduct the bind-over hearing.

Rosa Roman was arrested on Nov. 5 and charged with the killing of Plasse, who was found stabbed to death on Aug. 26, 2011, in her third-floor apartment at 73 School St., Chicopee. Court documents, including the warrant for his arrest and the affidavit which detailed the reasons for the arrest, were ordered impounded at the request of Hampden district attorney Mark Mastroianni and Rosa Roman's former defense lawyer.

The Republican has filed a motion to make the documents public, citing the public interest in the case which resulted in an investigation into conduct by the Chicopee Police Department.

In court on Monday, a prosecutor said she needed an additional week to respond to the motion by attorney Joseph Pessolano on behalf of the newspaper, which contends the reasons cited for impoundment are outweighed by the public's right to know. The prosecution is citing a continuing investigation, although Mastroianni has refused to detail any information about the case, a possible motive or whether Rosa Roman and Plasse were acquainted.

Judge Patricia T. Poehler agreed to continue the motion hearing for one week.

Assistant district attorney Jane Montori said the prosecution wants the impoundment order extended because of the ongoing investigation, privacy interests and the defendant's right to a fair trial.

In the wake of Plasse's death, police officials learned a patrolman and a police sergeant took photographs of the bloody crime scene on their cell phones and then shared them with other officers. One of the officers then showed the photographs to members of the public.

The incident, including the disciplinary action taken by former Police Chief John R. Ferraro Jr. against the officers involved with the photographs, became a central issue in the election race between Mayor Michael Bissonnette and his opponent, former Mayor Richard Kos. The election occurred on the same day Rosa Roman was arrested, and Kos emerged the victor.

Bissonnette made the picture-taking incident public when he announced he had hired Charette as police chief to replace Ferraro, who retired abruptly in June. Ferraro's exit came shortly after Bissonnette learned about the photographs and questioned the punishments meted out by Ferraro. Bissonnette hired a former state police internal affairs investigator to review the actions of the Police Department.